Strangers in a Bar
by Gillian Leigh
Summary: What if things had been different for Mulder and Scully? What if they met under different circumstances? 121603 This story was posted once before; I just fixed the chapter formatting.
1. The Beginning

Title: Strangers in a Bar (it's a working title, my creativity is lacking...)  
  
Author: Gillian Leigh  
  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I own none of it. The thoughts, actions and words of these characters are all stemmed from the ideas (the copyrighted ideas) of the brilliant Chris Carter.  
  
Feedback: Yes please!!!!  
  
*Author's Notes: *Authors Notes: I reformatted this, because it pissed me off that it didn't have paragraph breaks and all that jazz...*  
  
~(X)~  
  
"Don't you think you've had enough?" the bartender asked of the red-haired woman who had been steadily pounding back shots for over an hour. The woman looked down at her empty glass, and then slowly shifted her gaze to the bartender, saying,  
"I'm paying you, right?" He stopped his glass drying for a moment, and said uncertainly,  
"Yeah." She pushed her short hair behind her ears and said,  
"Well then, I'm done when I say I'm done." The bartender shook his head, feeling slightly embarrassed, and turned his back to the woman, placing the dried glasses in their correct places.  
The woman had caught the attention of a man seated at the other end of the bar. He was a frequent patron, and he had never seen her before. He noticed that she was dressed entirely in black, wearing black high-heeled pumps, a knee-length black skirt, and a black blouse. Her black winter coat was lying across her lap. Even in the dim light of the bar, he could see that she was attractive, strikingly so. She didn't wear much make-up, but she didn't need to; the way she carried herself said enough about her beauty. The man-who-frequented-the-bar raised his right hand to call the bartender to him.  
"What can I get you, Mr. Mulder?" The bartender, whose nametag read "Jake", asked.  
"Vodka and tonic, please," Mulder said. When Jake brought him his drink, he took a sip and then asked, "Jake, that woman at the end of the bar, the red-head, what's her story?" Jake leaned in, and spoke quietly, so as not to be overheard talking about the mysterious red-headed woman to Mulder.  
" She came in here about an hour ago, sat herself there, ordered straight shots of vodka, and has been pounding them back ever since. She doesn't talk much, but from what I can gather, she lost someone in her family, and rather than go to the wake party, and be offered endless, hollow condolences, she came here to drown her sorrows." Mulder nodded, finishing off his drink in one swig.  
"I can't blame her. All those people say that they're sorry, but they never are as sorry as they make out to be," he stated, matter-of-factly. Jake nodded, and Mulder said, "Thank you, Jake, but I should be going now. As it is, I have to get a cab home." Jake took his glass and his money, turning away from him. Mulder stood and put on his winter coat, he was looking for his keys in his pocket when the red-headed woman's beeper went off. He stopped what he was doing to watch her. She pulled the beeper off her waist band, and after glancing at it, let out an exaggerated sigh.  
"Jesus Christ," she said, replacing it, and pulling money from her pocket. She threw it down on the bar, and attempted to stand, saying, "The way my mother nags at me, you'd think I was her rebellious teenage daughter who needed to be kept on a leash, rather than her twenty-nine year old daughter who can take care of herself." She grumbled loudly as she tried to put on her coat. She swayed dangerously, and steadied herself on the bar. Mulder moved toward her, and she looked up from buttoning her coat, having sensed his presence. From his towering height of six foot one, he saw for the first time how tiny she was. She ignored him, pulling her car keys from her pocket, and turned to walk shakily out the door. Mulder decided it was time for action, and snatched the keys from her hand. She looked up at him, angrily, saying,  
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
"There's no way you're driving home. Look at you, you can hardly walk," he said, as she stood with her hands on her hips, shaking either from anger, or too much alcohol, Mulder couldn't tell which.  
"Excuse me? Who the hell are you, and why should you give a damn about what condition I choose to drive myself home in? Give me back my keys," she said, forcefully, extending her hand. Mulder shook his head.  
" I can tell that you don't live near here, because I've never seen you in this bar before, so I'm not about to let you drive some insane distance home, while you're too smashed to even stand up straight. I'll give you back your keys, when you're in the cab and on your way home, wherever that may be," Mulder said, gently guiding her out the door and onto the sidewalk.  
"I don't have the money for a cab," she said, pulling her coat around her to keep out the biting cold. Mulder did the same.  
"I'll pay for it," he said. She searched for a moment for some kind of argument. All she could come up with was,  
" I don't ride in cabs with strangers." Mulder snorted, shaking his head. "What?!" she exclaimed, looking up at him, and brushing her hair out of her eyes.  
"Nothing, nothing," he said, pausing. "My name is Fox Mulder," he said, extending his hand. She looked first at his hand, then up at him and said,  
"My name is Dana, Dana Watterston." she shook his hand, smiling for the first time.  
"Nice to meet you, Dana," he said, ushering her into the cab that had just pulled up. He climbed in beside her, and closed the door.  
The cabbie asked, "Where're we headed folks?" Mulder nodded to her, and she said,  
"Georgetown, please." The cabbie smiled at her in the rearview mirror and nodded.  
"And after you take this fine lady to Georgetown, I'll be heading to Arlington. But keep the meter running, I'm payin'," Mulder said, settling down into the seat. He watched Dana, who was staring out the window, her elbow on the arm rest, her chin resting on her hand. He could smell her perfume, something light and flowery, which gave the impression of romance. She abruptly sat back, and caught Mulder glancing at her, taking every inch of her in.  
"Mr. Mulder," she said, choosing not to address his staring, because he was apparently uncomfortable, seeing as he dropped his eyes the moment she saw him. "I need to thank you for making me take the cab home. It would have been a little hard to drive, seeing as there are two of everything..." she giggled. With every passing moment, he grew more and more attracted to her. The two had been sitting in silence for several moments when she suddenly said,  
"Scully." and Mulder looked at her, saying,  
"I'm sorry?" She looked up at him, as surprised that he had spoken, as he had been at her sudden outburst.  
"Oh, I-I must have been thinking out loud," she said quietly, looking down at her lap. Mulder could see tears forming in her eyes.  
"What is it? Was it something I said? Something I did?" Mulder asked, hesitantly putting his hand on hers. She raised her eyes, wiping tears from her cheeks, and said,  
"I'm sorry. It-it wasn't you. I should have told you that my name was Dana Scully, not Dana Watterston. I- just lost my husband three days ago, and we buried him this afternoon..." she said, her voice dropping slightly.  
"I'm so sorry," he said.  
"Thank you," she said. Dana looked down at Fox's hand in her lap, and squeezed it tightly, glad to have it there. "We were actually heading toward a divorce; five years with that man felt like an eternity, but it still hurts." Mulder nodded. She continued, "And I came to the bar, because, I would rather be surrounded by silent strangers, than by family and friends who want to do nothing but talk."  
"Hollow, empty, meaningless conversation is often more unsettling than silence," Mulder said. She nodded, and leaned into him. She felt none of the discomfort that he did. Dana folded her legs under her, snuggling into Fox, who was warming to her. He put his arm around her. When they had gotten into Georgetown, Dana began giving directions. When they pulled up in front of a rather large house, and Mulder moved to open the door, Dana put her hand on his arm.  
"I can't go in there. I can't face all those people, and hear how sorry they are, and how much they'll miss Daniel. I can't deal with my mother, who is already pissed off at me because I didn't come home," she said frantically, and somehow, Fox understood, and told the cabbie to go. They were headed for Arlington, when he said,  
"Where are you going to go? There aren't any motels open during the Thanksgiving holiday, and those that are, are undoubtedly full to the gills..." he hesitated, thinking to himself, 'What am I doing?', and then said, " Why don't you come to my place? I'll take the couch. " She brightened, and showed only slight hesitation when she said,  
"Alright. Thank you, so much.. Err, do you prefer Fox?"  
"Mulder's fine," he said.  
"Call me Dana," she offered.  
The cab pulled up to Mulder's apartment building, and after paying the cabbie, Mulder got out, and offered Dana his hand. She stepped out of the cab and with Mulder's aid she walked unsteadily up to his apartment. He unlocked the door, and paused, saying,  
"You're not a neat freak, are you? Oh you are," he said. "Well, brace yourself." He threw the door open, and the two entered the disheveled apartment. Mulder took off his coat, and then took Dana's, and no sooner had he draped the two over a chair than a cell phone began ringing in one of the pockets. Mulder checked his coat first, sure that it was his phone, and one of his superiors checking in on him; he was mistaken. Dana plucked her cell phone from her coat pocket,  
"Oh, hi Mom," she said, and made a face. Fox muffled his laughter. "Oh, some punk ass kids slashed three of my tires, and my damn car wouldn't start. I'm staying in the... Beryl Motor Lodge.... No really, Mom, I'm fine, just exhausted. I'll be home in the morning. Love you too, buh-bye," she triumphantly hung up the phone. She put her coat back on the chair, and turned to Mulder, saying, "Where's your bathroom?" he pointed her in the direction of his diminutive bathroom, and then headed for the kitchen. He began making coffee, in hopes of getting rid of the headache that he knew was starting to form. He rubbed the knot at the base of his skull which was the signal of the starting of a beastly headache. Dana entered the kitchen looking a little pale. Mulder turned to her with concern, saying,  
"Are you alright?"  
"I usually hold my liquor well, but I'm not feeling so hot," she said, holding her head. Mulder moved to the refrigerator, and pulled out a can of ginger ale. He opened it, poured some in a glass, and handed it to Dana, who thanked him after accepting the glass by promptly throwing up all over his shoes.  
An hour later when Dana was sitting on Fox's couch, in one of his old shirts and her skirt, wrapped in a blanket with a cool compress on her head and a bucket at her feet, she was still apologizing profusely.  
"No, really, I feel terrible. I felt a little woozy, and then it just...came out of me," she said, her cheeks red with embarrassment. He smiled at her.  
"Sadly, that's not the first time I've been thrown up on. In college, I was often the target of alcohol induced vomit," he said, laughing.  
"You were a partier in college, then?" she asked.  
"Well, I wasn't as much as my roommates were," he said, laughing. "But I did get in my good share of hangovers. What about you? You don't seem much like the partying type," he said, turning to her. She took a sip of her ginger ale, and said,  
"No, I wasn't big into partying. Mostly because I knew that my parents would kill me if I screwed up in med school and had to retake a course. They were already paying a ton of money for my college education anyways, and I didn't dare get hung over and miss an exam, or a class for that matter," she said, laughing. "I didn't really live until I got married. Daniel was my Med School teacher, one of my professors, and he helped me out with my studying so I could go out and have fun. So what is it that you do?"  
"I'm in the FBI," he said humbly. Dana was more interested than he could have expected.  
"Really?! I thought about being in the FBI for a while, but Daniel and my family protested, and I consented and continued with my medical school. So tell me all about yourself," she said, settling down into the couch.  
Mulder launched into his life story, which seemed a little odd to Dana, but she listened, totally enthralled as he described the many things he had seen, and done. The two talked into the hours of the early morning. Dana laid down to go to sleep at 3:00, but found that she couldn't sleep.  
After a half an hour had passed, she ventured into the kitchen for a glass of water. She paused when she passed Mulder sound asleep on the couch. Dana had forgotten about the glass of water she'd wanted when she covered him with the blanket that had been lying across the back of the couch. She hurried back to his bedroom and pulled the blanket and pillow she had been using, out to the living room. She sat in the chair across the room from him, and situated herself comfortably. She propped her elbow up on the edge of the chair, and with a smile on her face she watched Mulder sleep, realizing for the first time how attracted she was to him. She studied his sleeping face, and the expression of calm that took him over at night. Dana found herself almost lovingly studying his strong features; his beautiful chocolate brown hair, his eyes which in some light were green, in others they looked blue, and his prominent nose and chin, and his gorgeous, soft-looking lips. As she fell asleep watching him sleep, Dana asked herself,  
'Is this right? I just lost my husband. Should I be grieving more than this?' she consoled herself saying, 'But we had been growing apart for quite some time. Even Daniel wanted out, and my parents wanted the same so the two of us would be happy, even if that meant being apart.' She yawned, and mumbled to herself, 'The vows did say, 'Until death do you part'.' She drifted off into a peaceful slumber.  
She awoke hours later to Mulder gently shaking her shoulder.  
"Morning," he said, handing her cell phone to her as it rang obnoxiously.  
"What time is it?" she asked before answering it. Mulder looked at his watch,  
"9:15." she looked slightly surprised, but didn't seem concerned. She answered her phone, saying,  
"Dr. Watterston speaking. Oh, hi Mom. I slept fine. Yeah, I'll be home in about an hour. I'm at the garage right now having new tires put on and they're checking the engine for me. And if I'm not back in an hour, I'll be home as soon as possible, ok? Love you too, bye," she said, hanging up the phone. Mulder felt the undeniable attraction he had for Dana more strongly than ever this morning, but he couldn't help asking himself, 'Does she feel the same way? Even a tiny bit?' He shook himself as she yawned rising slowly from the armchair. His curiosity had been tugging at him since he had awoken at 7:45 and found Dana sound asleep across the living room from him, wearing only his shirt, her bare feet with painted pink toe nails barely visible under his heavy bedspread. Her red hair was slightly puffy, and she looked almost too pale in the morning light that shone through his window, but she was still beautiful to him. He couldn't resist asking any longer, however, and said,  
"Umm, Dana, how exactly did you wind up sleeping in the most uncomfortable chair ever manufactured in the history of man?" She laughed, bending and twisting until Mulder heard a series of pops, snaps and cracks as Dana popped nearly every bone in her body. He winced, and she laughed again, and then apologized.  
"Sorry about that; it's a nasty little habit I've developed. But anyways, back to the chair thing. Well, I found that after we agreed to stop talking and actually sleep, my recurring insomnia set in. I guess it comes from working all those twenty-four hour shifts at the hospital. Well, anyways, I decided that maybe the fact that I couldn't sleep stemmed from the fact that I haven't had to sleep in a room by myself for five years. I didn't want to wake you, so I came out and opted to sleep in the chair, rather than the floor, which, at this point in time is seeming like the wrong decision," she said, grinning as she cracked her neck again. Mulder smiled at her, feeling no need to reply verbally, and simply left the room and returned with two cups of black coffee.  
Having left the blanket and pillow on the chair, Dana sat down on Mulder's couch, and folded her legs beneath her. Mulder sat down as well, a comfortable distance from his guest. The two talked over coffee, each studying the other, feeling the mutual attraction. After they had drunk the last drops of their coffee, Dana wordlessly took his cup and stood, bringing them to his kitchen and without hesitation, washing them in the sink. She put them in the small drying rack which sat to the right of the sink on the crowded counter.  
"Now, you didn't have to do that," Mulder said, standing closely to her.  
"Please, Mulder, it was the least I could do. For God's sake, you met me in a bar, and not only was I overly hostile toward you, but I acted like a total ass, and then you pay for my cab, and let me, a total stranger you met in a bar, spend the night at your apartment, and offer me your bed, your clothes, and your coffee, no questions asked. Washing a couple of coffee mugs is the least I can do to repay you," she said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He pulled back, surprised, but then said,  
"Well, that helps too." She looked up at him, seriousness in her eyes, which, he noted, were a brilliant blue, and she said,  
"No, really, what can I do to repay you for your kindness?" He thought on it for a moment, and she followed him as he paced through the apartment and into his bedroom, opening the door to his closet. He pulled out a gray tee shirt, navy blue sweatshirt, and blue jeans, all the while contemplating her question. Knowing that Dana was in the room, but not hesitating to remove his shirt, he spun around to face her quickly when the answer came to him.  
"Let me take you out to dinner," he said, taking her hands and grinning wildly at her. Dana was taken aback.  
"You're-you're asking me out on a date?" she said, to the tune of statement rather than question. "I haven't been on a date in... well, forever, and how is your taking me out to dinner, and once again spending your money on me going to repay you for yesterday and this morning?" He didn't hesitate before responding,  
"Our spending time together is payment enough." Dana felt, to her surprise, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.  
"That was the first genuine thing I've heard anyone say in a long time," she said, taking his hand, "and the answer is yes. Here is my number, call me later with the details." She hurried into the other room, and dressed quickly, pulling her wrinkled skirt and blouse from the floor where they had been lying in a heap. She didn't bother with her nylons; she had, in fact, in all her excitement, forgotten that she had worn any. She said goodbye to Fox, and handed him her business card from her coat pocket, and kissed him, once again, on the cheek before practically running out the door, eager, for the first time in a great while, to get home.  
Margaret Scully sensed the difference in her daughter as soon as she walked through the door. The fact that it had been just above freezing all morning, and Dana wasn't dressed for the weather apparently had not even bothered her.  
"Morning, Mom," Dana said cheerily, removing her coat and handing it by the door.  
"You seem awfully happy for someone who undoubtedly just paid a great deal of money to have three new tires put on her car and the engine checked," Margaret said, giving her daughter an "all-knowing" look which all mothers possess. 


	2. The Talk

Chapter 2  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar  
  
**See part one for Disclaimer!**  
  
~(X)~  
  
Feeling like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Dana backtracked in her mind, trying to find a convincing cover story. Unfortunately, her rebellious teenage years had long since faded from her memory, and she couldn't think of a good excuse, though she wasn't really sure if her mother had believed her all those times she swore she'd never come home late, drunk, and reeking of cigarettes, or if she had simply turned a blind eye and deaf ear.  
'There's no point in lying to her,' Dana thought to herself, ' After all, what is she going to do, ground me?' she laughed at the thought, and then decided to come clean with her mother.  
"Mom, have a seat," she said, pointing to the large, leather sofa. Her mother sank into the couch, and Dana pulled up the ottoman, seating herself on it. She took her mother's hands, and looked into her eyes, and said,  
"Mom, I want you to listen to me before you say anything. OK? Hear me out." Margaret nodded at her daughter, feeling anxious. Dana continued, " You know how Daniel and I hadn't been happy for a while, right?" Mrs. Scully nodded again. "Well, we were fast approaching an ugly divorce, and if he hadn't passed, we would be knee deep in it now. Well, after the funeral yesterday, I couldn't bear the thought of dealing with all these people, so I went to this little hole-in-the-wall bar outside of Arlington. And I got drunk off my ass, and when I get drunk, I get mean. So you called me, and I stood up to leave, and when I did, this tall, attractive guy from the other end of the bar takes my keys from me, and insists that I am not driving home. He tells me that I am taking a cab, and he is going with me, and he is going to pay for it. So we got here, and we were pulled up outside, and I told him that I couldn't do it. I couldn't go in and face all those people. And then he proved himself to be man of the century, Mom. He could have put me, a total stranger, someone he could have simply disregarded after making sure that I got where I was going safely, but instead, he put me up for the night, paid my cab fare, offered me his food, his hospitality, and his bed, saying he'd take the couch. He made me coffee this morning, and offered to ride with me in the cab to get my car. Mom, he is the most honest, wholesome person I think I've ever met," she said, smiling at her mother. Margaret Scully sat, flabbergasted at the resiliency of her daughter. Dana searched her mother's face for a reaction, feeling an inkling of fear in the back of her mind as to what her mother would feel about all of this. A smiled broke out across Maggie's face, and she held her daughter at length and looked her over before enveloping her in a loving hug.  
Dana felt that if she smiled any more, her face might split in two as she walked slowly up the staircase to her bedroom, and rummaged through her closet and dresser drawers. After choosing an ensemble suitable for the day, and her mood, Dana turned on the shower, letting the water run. As she closed the door, she could faintly hear the phone ringing, but she knew her mother would answer it and take down any necessary messages. She opened the door to the linen closet, removing two blue cotton towels, and a matching blue washcloth. As she stood in the steamy shower, the temperate water cascading down her back and over her shoulders, she mulled over in her mind her past decisions, including those of yesterday and that morning. She thought back to the time when she had contemplated leaving medical school to pursue a career in the FBI.  
'What really stopped me?' she asked herself, racking her brain for the answer. It came to her as she turned off the water and toweled herself off. "Daniel stopped me," she said. But she knew she couldn't blame it all on him. " I allowed myself to be stopped," she said, to her dripping wet reflection. Dana vowed to herself, though even to her own ears it sounded cheesy, never to be deterred from what she knew was what she wanted and deserved for herself ever again.  
She dressed, and blow-dried her hair. She also did the other things involved in her daily morning routine, brushing her teeth, applying a little mascara and lip balm. She then gave herself a quick once over and satisfied with what she saw, Dana threw the towels in the laundry basket and took her dirty clothes to her room to put in their own separate receptacle. She paused, thinking she heard her mother talking to someone in the living room.  
"It's probably just my dad," she said, "or Bill, or Charlie." She had fully come to believe this when she entered her living room and saw her mother sitting on the couch talking to Fox Mulder. 


	3. The First Date

Chapter 3  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar (...still working on it....)  
  
Author: Gillian Leigh  
  
Disclaimer: Anything X-Files related belongs to Chris Carter, Fox and 1013. The song "Here I Go Again" belongs to White Snake. Any references to people living or dead were not meant as anything other than homage. Please don't sue me. If you saw where I live, you'd understand my need to write.  
  
~(X)~  
  
It was Mulder who saw her first, and he flashed her a sheepish grin, knowing the situation was a little awkward. Her grin showed the same hesitation, but Mulder knew he had done nothing wrong in coming to see her. She had, after all, given him her number, and he did, after all, call and fully intend to leave a message. He couldn't help it if Mrs. Scully picked up the phone and insisted that he come over. He would have been fine returning Dana's mobile at a later time, especially if she had agreed to meet him for dinner later that day, but Mrs. Scully insisted, and Mulder knew from dealing with his own mother, that it was best to do as she wished.  
He stood, and walked to Dana, giving her a hug. As they held each other in a rather informal hug, Mulder thought to himself,  
'God, she smells good.' he could smell what was a mixture of her shampoo, and perfume. They pulled apart, and it was she who sat down first, and Mulder didn't hesitate to plop down right next to her. They looked at each other, and then turned to Maggie, who had been so happy she could hardly contain herself. Dana shot her mother a look,  
'Mom, stop that now.' The glance returned to her clearly said,  
'Stop what?'  
'You know exactly what I want you to stop.' Maggie looked at her daughter, smiled, and returned a glance that said,  
'Dana, I have no idea what you are talking about.' Exasperated, Dana gave up.  
"What is it that brings you by, Mulder?" Dana asked, settling back into the couch. Mulder pulled Dana's mobile out of his pocket, saying,  
"You, umm, left this at my apartment." He handed it to her. Dana turned six shades of red, and pocketed the cell phone.  
"Thanks," she mumbled. An uncomfortable silence had settled over the group, when Mulder said,  
"So, Dana, I was wondering if you would take me up on that offer for dinner, tonight?" Dana looked past Mulder, to her mother who was nodding so hard Dana feared her head would fall off. Dana looked at Mulder and said,  
"What time?"  
"6:00?"  
"It's a date," Dana said, smiling at him.  
  
That evening, Mulder stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, trying on shirt after shirt, after shirt. He hadn't been on a date, an official date, one that actually received the label of "date", since college. He finally settled on a navy blue wool sweater with a lighter blue button down underneath. He pulled on a pair of loose-fitting dark blue jeans and his brown shoes. As he hurried into the bathroom to check his hair and put on some cologne, Dana was facing the same dilemma. She stood in her bedroom in front of the full length mirror, wearing one sweater, and holding two others in front of her, trying to decide which to wear. She eventually settled on a black turtleneck sweater, dark blue jeans, and her black boots with the slight heel. She resolved to put the sweaters away when she returned home that evening, because she was running out of time. As she hurried into the bathroom to do her hair and make up, Mulder was searching for his keys. He looked everywhere, except for the place-he-had- put-them-so he-wouldn't-forget-them, his coat pocket. Throwing on his jacket, he turned off the lights and closed the door, double-checking the lock. By the time he got to the elevator at the end of the hall, he stopped himself, patted his pocket and discovered his keys were missing.  
"Shit!" he exclaimed, checking and re-checking all of his pockets. He raced back down the hall to find his keys still in the lock on his door. He shook his head, and removed the keys, saying, "If I don't get control over my nerves pretty soon..." he jogged back to the elevator, hopped in and pushed the button for the main floor of his building. As he unlocked his Taurus and started the engine, Dana was bounding down the steps to her living room in search of her beeper. She found it, just where she had left it, on the coffee table, and clipped it to her waist. She put her cell phone in her jacket pocket, turning out the multitude of lights that were on throughout the house. She stopped in the bathroom on the way out, checking her appearance once more, satisfied with what she saw, she dashed down the steps, picked up her coat and opened the door to find Mulder, right hand raised, ready to knock. The two startled each other, but laughed.  
"Great timing," Mulder quipped.  
"Mmhmm," Dana mumbled, closing the door and locking it behind her. Mulder noticed that she didn't forget her keys in the lock. He led her to his car and opened the passenger side door; she sat down inside, smiling nervously at him.  
'Butterflies,' she thought to herself. 'I haven't had butterflies since, well, a long time ago...' She smiled, oddly enough it felt good to have butterflies. Mulder was something special if he was enough to make her nervous.  
Mulder's butterflies, however, felt more like baby dragons, as he seated himself in the car and started the engine. He was determined, however, not to let on how nervous he actually was. Dana drummed on the arm rest, and to ease some of the stress of trying to make small talk, Mulder turned on the radio. When the first bars of "Here I Go Again.." began playing, Mulder and Dana looked at each other and said, emphatically,  
"I love this song!!"  
"Want me to turn it up?" Mulder asked. Dana grinned at him, feeling the butterflies beginning to dissipate and said,  
"Yeah! I need to drown out my singing." Mulder cranked up the volume, and hummed along with the music, playing air guitar at every red light. The two simultaneously relaxed, and Dana asked, over the music,  
"Who sings this, again?" Mulder thought on it a moment before answering,  
"White Snakes?"  
"Yeah, that's it," Dana said. By the time they reached the diner, the song was over, but Mulder still sung it under his breath and Dana hummed the tune. As they got out of the car, Dana looked over the charming roadside diner she had so often passed on her way to work, but never stopped at. McDonald's was on the way, easier, and quicker than stopping to have a sit in breakfast after working the 11-7.  
"I know it's a little, well, humble, but it's not pay week this week..." Mulder said, feeling embarrassed at his lack of financial stability. He knew that because Dana and her husband were both physicians, and he had no doubt possessed a good life insurance policy, that she was well off. Far better off than he, no doubt. He was also sure that she would have expected more, but he was quite wrong; Dana was overly pleased with his choice.  
"It's perfect. I hate those big restaurants anyways," she said, catching up to him at the door. She took his hand, and said, "I never did know which fork to use, and I'd rather have a burger than a fillet mignon any day." She laced her fingers with his, and they entered the diner together, and chose a quiet table in the corner.  
They first sat down and Mulder happened to look down at Dana's hand, and saw that she no longer wore her wedding band or engagement ring. He held her left hand in his right atop the table while she flipped through a menu.  
"Aren't you going to at least look at a menu?" Dana asked him. Mulder shook his head.  
"Nah. I've been here so many times, I've got it down to a science what I'm going to order." She had selected what she wanted to eat and closed the menu, leaving her free to take his other hand.  
The two were deep in conversation and didn't notice when a waitress approached them moments later.  
"Ah-hem," the waitress said, clearing her throat. "Ready to order, folks?" Mulder nodded to Dana to order first, and she said,  
"I'll have the cheeseburger, medium-rare, if you could, a medium Diet Coke, and an order of curly fries, please," Dana said, and then looked at Mulder, who then rattled off his order.  
"I'll have the double bacon cheeseburger, rare, a large Sprite, and the steak fries, please," he said, gathering their menus and handing them to the waitress.  
While they waited for their food to come, Mulder talked to Dana about his family, something he rarely did with anyone. He had told Dana about his sister's abduction the first night that they spent together. He had also talked briefly about his search for her, and for proof of something greater than himself, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about the X-Files to her. He feared she would see it only as a hollow, personal crusade. 'Another day, another time,' he had thought to himself, 'I will tell her some other time, just not now.'  
"My mom and dad split up not too long after my sister, Samantha went missing. I guess something like that puts too much stress on a relationship. They decided that their differences were 'irreconcilable'. I was twelve years old, and I had not a freaking clue what they were talking about, but I was sure that it had to do with Samantha. I harbored guilt about that for so long," he paused. I still do. And I'll tell her that too, someday, just not now. Dana nodded as he talked, occasionally rubbing his thumb with hers, showing that though she couldn't relate, she was trying to understand.  
The conversation turned shortly thereafter to lighter subject matter, and the two were soon laughing at one another, and they failed to notice that they had attracted the attention of the entire wait staff, who stood, hunched over the counter, giggling as watched these two people, who to them, seemed so evidently in love. When their food arrived, Dana noticed that their waitress, Betty, had a newly formed entourage.  
After placing their plates on the table, Betty stood, hands on her hips, and asked,  
"Anything else I can get you?" When both responded 'no', she turned to walk away but then faced them again, and Mulder looked up at her.  
"Yes?" he asked, this got Dana's attention, and she stopped untangling her curly fries and looked up at Betty as well, drinking her soda.  
"How long you two been married?" This statement caused Dana to choke on her Diet Coke. She and Mulder found themselves both laughing, though Dana at least tried to hide it. Betty turned a shade of crimson and her face dropped a little.  
"Oh, God, we're not married," Dana said, managing to keep from laughing, "This is only our first date. What gave you that idea?"  
"Oh," Betty said, regrouping from her momentary humiliation. "Well, the way you two carry on, making 'lovey' eyes at each other, holding hands and laughin' and all, you seem like a couple of newlyweds, is all," she said, turning to walk away. As soon as they were sure she was out of earshot, the two burst into peals of laughter again.  
Dana stood at the counter as Fox paid their bill, and then led the way out the door. As they walked to the car, they stood closely, side by side, and Dana allowed her hand to brush up against Mulder's a few times and she felt his strong grasp as their fingers laced together. She looked up at him and smiled. He opened her car door for her, walked around to the other side and got in himself.  
"I have a few places in mind that we could go. You want to go for a drink, first?" he asked as he started the engine. Dana shook her head after a moment of contemplation.  
"I wish I could," she said, "but I've got work tomorrow, and drinking is a no-no." She sighed, and Mulder nodded,  
"Oh yeah, I've got work tomorrow too, so alcohol is definitely out. How are you at bowling?" Dana just smiled at him,  
"You'll have to wait and see..."  
  
"Here are your bowling shoes, size 5 ½ for the lady, and an 11 for the gentleman," said Freddy, the manager of the Midnight Lanes Bowling Alley, flashing his dorky grin and handing Dana and Mulder their shoes. Mulder put their names in the score sheets, and after Dana set her shoes down next to the bench, she walked to the rack and picked up a 10 pound, hot pink bowling ball. Mulder set his shoes down next to hers, and picked up a 16 pound, black bowling ball, and joined Dana as she adjusted the laces on her shoes.  
"How come you get the cool colored bowling ball? All the 16 pounders are either black or navy blue... what a variety!" Dana laughed at him, and straightened up. She stepped up to the line, brought back her arm, and let go of the ball with a force that Mulder didn't expect could come from someone so tiny. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed that she leaned the way she wanted the ball to go, all while standing on one foot, her other leg bent at the knee, foot out behind her. She jumped up and down and started yelling when she rolled a strike. She and Mulder exchanged high and low fives. He too bowled a strike, and the two seemed evenly matched for nearly five frames, but by the ninth, Dana was beating him badly, and their ending scores were 203 and 187 respectively.  
"You cheated," Mulder said, as he handed his shoes back to Freddy.  
"Did not. You're just jealous," Scully said, leaning on him to pull her left boot back on.  
"You did so, and I am not jealous," Mulder retorted, continuing their childish argument as they stepped out into the lat October chill which had settled more deeply as the sun set.  
"How would one cheat at bowling, Mr. Mulder? The machine keeps score, not the person," Dana spat back, playfully, crossing her arms and arching her right eyebrow.  
"That, Ms. Scully, I cannot exactly be sure of, but there is one thing I know..."  
"And what is that?"  
"You cheated." Dana let out an exasperated sigh and gave up, knowing that there would be no end to this argument otherwise.  
On the way back to her house, Dana was looking out the window, and said,  
"It's beautiful out tonight." Mulder looked over at her, and slowed the car. "What're you doing?"  
"I know it sounds crazy, but let's take a walk in the park. I'm not ready to head home yet, are you?" Surprised though she was, Dana liked a little spontaneity, and she agreed. Mulder parked the car, and Dana buttoned her coat and pulled on her gloves, and Mulder did the same. The two walked hand in hand, across the park, making use of the lighted walkways. When they tired of this, they found a bench near the small pond and sat down.  
The conversation that ensued eventually settled on Dana's profession, a relief to Mulder, who was often reluctant to talk about his work, for fear that Dana wasn't the only one listening.  
"I've worked at Northeast Georgetown for three years now, but I'm still in my residency. I'm an ER doctor, and a qualified surgeon, so I deal with all the trauma and everything that flies in through those doors, from 7-3 most days, some days from 3-11, some days from 11-7. Some days I work all three, or two out of three, depending on the need for a doctor with my qualifications. I've seen all the gruesome, grizzly, nasty stuff you can imagine," she said, glancing off across the pond.  
"So you can pretty much handle all of it without getting all emotional.." Mulder said, and Dana looked at him,  
"Right...most of the time. The only times it tends to get to me are when it's someone I know, or a child. I can't stand seeing children in pain. It's the worst when you lose them," she said, her voice quieting. Mulder couldn't tell if she was simply talking about her patients, or if her late husband was in these thoughts as well. She looked up, her eyes shining with still forming, and already flowing tears. "You hold their lives in your hands," she said. She took a deep breath, and talked, for the first time with anyone, about losing Daniel. "I came home from working the 7-3; Daniel had worked the 11-7. He had seemed fine when I saw him in the hospital that morning, maybe he looked a little tired, nothing more, nothing less. I would have been more worried if he didn't look tired after working all night. We said our good mornings; we had plans to go out to dinner that night after I got off work. When I got home that afternoon, I called out to him, but I-I got no response," she said, wiping away the tears that had been streaming steadily down her face. Mulder put his arm around her shoulder, and held her close. She whispered, "Thank you," before continuing. "I thought maybe he was still asleep, that shift can take a lot out of you, but when I went upstairs to our bedroom, he was lying on the bathroom floor, and the cordless phone lay about three feet away from him, shattered from hitting the floor when he did. He had a weak pulse, but I had no idea how long he'd been like that, I called 911, and they took him to the ER. I was still in my work clothes, and standing beside his gurney, telling them what had happened and giving the course of treatment I thought would be proportional. I had, after all seen hundreds of heart attack victims. I guess I was in shock, because it hadn't really hit me that it was my husband lying on that gurney. I was still spouting orders and being ignored when he flat-lined. I even went so far as to reach for the paddles, but Dr. Regenski stopped me. She made me leave and go to the waiting room, where I paced up and down until it finally hit me. I sat down in a chair and prayed for an hour before Dr. Regenski came out of the ER wearing the expression we wore when we delivered the bad news. Just like that, he was gone," she concluded, sighing, her sobs beginning to subside.  
"I'm so sorry," Mulder said, being to stunned to say anything else. This woman had bared her soul to him, someone she had just met days ago. Dana was also surprised at herself. She wasn't the type to open up and show her weak side. She hadn't even cried to her mother over Daniel. There was something about Mulder that made her feel safe; she felt that he wouldn't judge her like so many other people tended to do.  
After a subsequent silence occurred, it was Dana who changed the subject to lighter things. The two talked about their interests, their pasts, their faults, their hopes for the future.  
"Did your life turn out anything like you'd imagined it would as a child?" Dana asked him, having cheered up. Mulder laughed,  
"Not in the least." Dana looked at him with surprise.  
"Really? What did you want as a little kid then?"  
"I think, if I remember correctly, that at one point in time, I wanted to be a fireman, and there was another time when I wanted to be just like Walter Kronkite. But I never once said, 'Mommy, I wanna be an FBI Agent when I grow up'," he said, laughing. "What about you? Your life anything like you dreamt as a child?" Dana shrugged.  
"I guess... kind of.... a little. I always dreamt of being a doctor, but I never thought that I would be a widow before I was thirty, or child- less for that matter. I always wanted a big family, but Daniel thought it best if we didn't have children until my residency was over and I had passed my Boards, because then life would be a little more predictable. But I guess it does bear some similarities to that dream I had," she said, smiling at Mulder. Dana jumped when I jogger passed them. Mulder thought it a little odd for a jogger to be passing them when it must be nearly midnight. Both had failed, until this incident, to notice that the sun was beginning to burn through the mist that formed over the pond every morning. Dana looked at her watch, and exclaimed,  
"Oh, God, it's almost six in the morning!" Mulder checked his watch, and his eyebrows shot up to nearly the middle of his forehead.  
"Jesus, we talked all night!" he laughed, and Dana did too. Because they both had to be at work in about an hour and a half, the pair ran hand in hand across the park, and jumped into Mulder's car, still laughing that they braved the cold all night, and talked for nearly seven hours.  
When they pulled up outside Dana's large home, which looked oddly menacing in the dim morning light, Dana turned to Mulder, and after thanking him for a wonderful evening, jokingly said,  
"That house is too big for a single woman; I need a dog." She gave him a kiss, and ran into the house, up the stairs, and turned on the shower. For now, her body was still running on the adrenaline from being up all night in the cold with someone she so enjoyed spending time with. She pulled out her pink scrubs, still feeling elated, and when she jumped in the shower, Dana could swear she felt as if her whole body was one big smile.  
Mulder himself could not stop smiling the whole way home. He even found that he was smiling while he put on his suit to go to work, and lately he hated work. But the only thing that he could think of was her. He put some gel in his hair, and misted on some cologne. He looked himself over before darting out the door, pissed about work, but still unable to stop smiling. 


	4. The News

Chapter 4  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar  
  
Disclaimer: See a previous installment.  
  
~(X)~  
  
Sitting at his desk, Mulder rested his head on his hand as he examined a case file. He was not having a good morning, first he had no hot water, and spent nearly an hour on the phone with his landlord trying to get someone to fix it, and then he had misplaced his keys, once again. When he had finally gotten to work, he was almost a half an hour late, not that anyone had noticed. Hidden in that basement office, his only visitations were unpleasant and came in the form of Assistant Director Skinner, whose usual purpose for entering was to reprimand Mulder for something he had done against protocol or regulations. A smile crossed his face only when he looked up from his work and the picture of Dana on the corner of his desk caught his eye. The picture had been taken on their second date, a month ago, when Mulder had somehow managed to talk her into rock climbing. In the picture, she was hooked into her harness, about twenty feet up, but she had lost her footing, and was turned totally upside down, laughing hysterically. Her eyes were closed, and Mulder snapped the picture moments before one of the other climbers had turned her right-side-up. The smile conveyed through to his voice when he answered the phone.  
"Mulder," he said, picking up the picture to examine it again.  
"Mulder, it-it's me," Dana said, sounding shaky and apprehensive on the other end.  
"Dana, what's wrong?" Mulder asked, with concern in his voice. There was a knock at his door, and Skinner peeked his head in; Mulder motioned for him to enter. Skinner stepped through the door, and seeing that Mulder was on the phone, set to pacing the perimeter of the office and examining everything. On the phone, Dana took a shaky breath, and Mulder could tell that she had been crying.  
"I-I, um, I need to talk to you, in person. Is there any way you could meet me at the hospital? I have a lunch break coming up.." Mulder was about to say that this would be fine, when she cut him off. " No, I-I think I'd feel better coming to you. Is that alright?"  
"Sure. My lunch starts in about fifteen minutes. Take your time getting here, and please, try to calm down," Mulder said. On the other end he could hear Dana take a shaky breath,  
"Alright. I-I'll be there in about twenty minutes," Dana said.  
"Bye," Mulder said, Dana responded,  
"Bye," and then hung up. Mulder placed the phone back in it's cradle, and looked up at Skinner, who could tell something was wrong.  
"Well, what did I do wrong now?" Mulder asked, leaning back in his chair and looking at the Assistant Director. Skinner looked surprised.  
"Nothing, Mulder. I just came to see if maybe you'd like to go out for lunch, but I'm assuming from that call you just received, you have plans."  
"You assumed correctly then. It was Dana; something's bothering her," Mulder said, leaning forward and picking up the picture again. Skinner came over to him, seeing how concerned he was. Mulder handed him the picture.  
"She'll probably kill me when she see that I picked that picture to have on my desk." He reached into his wallet and pulled out several black and white photos from an Automatic Photo Booth that the two had passed on their most recent date. There was one picture where neither was making a face, and he handed that one to Skinner.  
"She's very attractive," he said, handing the photo back to Mulder, who put it back in his wallet. Mulder smiled, and said,  
"I'll take you up on that lunch offer some other time," he said, and Skinner nodded, leaving the office.  
For the next fifteen minutes Mulder made an attempt to work, but he couldn't concentrate. He was worried about Dana. She had sounded so upset, but hadn't given him any inclination as to why. He was deep in thought, and didn't hear Dana knock. It wasn't until she said,  
"Mulder?" that he looked up and saw her standing in his office, evidence of tears in her eyes and on her cheeks. He practically ran around his desk, and embraced her, and she started crying again. Reaching behind her, he closed the door to his office, and sat her down. He pulled his chair across from her, and took her hands in his.  
"What's wrong, Dana?" She looked up, and he thought he saw the smallest hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, but it faded quickly.  
"I haven't been feeling well lately, and I, I ran some tests on myself. It's one of the perks of being a doctor, I guess, and I got the results back, and I was scared to tell you," she paused, "Because I didn't know how you would feel. But I couldn't wait any longer. Remember, the night after we went rock climbing, when we um... got a little drunk?"  
"Yeah..."  
"And then we went back to my place and um...."  
"Yeaahh....." Mulder said, remembering the events of the evening.  
"Well, I just found out that.."  
"Yeah?"  
"I just found out this morning... I'm pregnant," she said, looking him the eyes. Mulder's eyebrow's shot up, and he looked at Dana, who was now laughing. Her laughter was a means of hiding her nerves, however, and she feared his reaction. Until, that is, his face erupted into a smile of gargantuan proportions, and he lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her. He pulled back and held her at length, looking at her.  
"You're pregnant."  
"Yes," she said, smiling, "I'm pregnant."  
"Oh, wow," he said, feeling slightly overwhelmed, but exultant.  
"I know..." she said, knowing it was a lot to stomach.  
"How far along are you?!" he asked, unable to contain his excitement.  
"Four weeks," she said, and placing a hand on her stomach, she added with an inward smile, "I'm going to be a mom." Mulder sat back, and still looking and feeling astonished,  
"I'm going to be a dad." He embraced Dana again, and this time, the tears that formed rivers on her cheeks were tears of joy.  
  
Dana felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest as she reentered the hospital, nearly two hours after she had gone. Smiling, she hurried into her office, to check her messages. There were two; one from her new partner, and friend, Dr. Gina Regenski, about the meds being received by one of her patients, which Dana made note of; and the second was from Dr. Pearson, the Chief of Staff, about the upcoming Christmas party. Dana rolled her eyes as she jotted down the specifics; the party was something she always made sure to miss. Seeing Dr. Regenski pass her office, Dana rushed out the door to catch up with her.  
"Gina!" she called, jogging to meet her. "Any new ones while I was gone?" Dr. Regenski, who had four inches on Dana's height of 5' 2", and long brown hair, turned, surprised to see her co-worker so happy.  
"Afternoon, Dana." She pulled out the charts, and said, "Nope, no new admissions. It's still as slow as it was this morning." The two parted ways, Dr. Regenski headed to her office, and Dana back to hers.  
Dana sat at her desk, and put on her glasses. She pulled out some general paper work and opened her laptop. An hour had passed, and she was nearly asleep when her beeper went off at the same time that one of the nurses burst through her office door.  
"Dr. Watterst--- Scully," she paused briefly, looking apologetic, before continuing, "We've got a critical coming in." The nurse rushed out and toward the ER, with Dana trailing close behind. She and Dr. Regenski reached the ER as soon as the paramedics were coming through the doors.  
"What am I looking at here, gentlemen?" Dana called, rushing to meet them. She kept an even pace with the paramedic in front of the stretcher.  
"Thirty-three year old male, victim of a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. From what the other Agent on scene said, he was preparing to make an arrest, and the guy pulled a fast one on him. We stabilized him, and he's on oxygen, but it looks pretty deep," the paramedic said, handing the charts to Dana. She handed the charts to Dr. Regenski, quickly thanking the paramedics, and she moved to the head of the stretcher to assess the patient, but when she got a good look, she stopped short, feeling a knot in the pit of her stomach. She stood, frozen at the side of the stretcher, and Dr. Regenski called to her,  
"Dana, do we have a name?" Dana stood stock still, and managed to call out,  
"Yeah." Dr. Regenski looked at her peculiarly, and prompted,  
"And what IS his name?"  
"His name, is Fox Mulder." 


	5. The Second Shift

Chapter 5  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar  
  
Disclaimer: Once again, anything X-Files related does not belong to me. This story is merely meant as homage, blah, blah, blah.  
  
~(X)~  
  
"Assistant Director Skinner?" Sitting in the waiting room, head in his hands, Skinner looked up when his name was called. He rose to his feet, saying only,  
"Yes?" He knew who the woman standing before him was before she even introduced herself.  
"Hi, I'm Dr. Dana Scully," she extended her hand.  
"Mulder's told me a lot about you," he said, surprising her. She simply nodded, and proceeded to update Skinner on Mulder's condition.  
"His surgery went well, but the next twenty-four hours are critical. He's in the ICU; he's still out cold, but you can go see him. The anesthesia should be wearing off soon," she said, smiling at him. He nodded, and took a step, but hesitated. "I'll show you the way." She said, stepping off in the direction of the ICUs. The two were walking in silence when Dana had to stop, to fight back a wave of nausea and a dizzy spell. Skinner looked at her in concern.  
"Are you alright?" he asked, grabbing her arm. She shook her head, steadying herself.  
"I'm fine," she pulled her arm away from him and pointed to Mulder's room. "He's in ICU 4. You've got a half an hour," she said, walking away to tend to her other patients. As Skinner cautiously entered the room, Mulder began to stir.  
"How're you feeling, Agent Mulder?" Skinner asked as he seated himself beside Mulder's bed. Mulder's eyes fluttered open, and then he closed them again, sighing.  
"Like I've been to hell and back," he whispered hoarsely. "Where am I?" he asked, feeling blinded by the bright whiteness of the hospital room. He knew he was in a hospital, just not which one.  
"Northeast Georgetown," Skinner said. After a moment, the name registered with Mulder, who asked,  
"Where's Dana? Is she alright?"  
"She's tending to her other patients. She's fine. Actually, she's the one who took the bullet out of you."  
  
During minute twenty-nine of Skinner's thirty minute visitation with Mulder, Dana paced back and forth in front of his room, checking her watch every two seconds.  
"Thirty minutes," Dana said, and just as she reached for the door handle to inform Skinner that his time was up, he opened it.  
"I'll be on my way, Dr. Scully." Skinner said, shaking her hand. "Agent Mulder wants to see you.. and whomever provides the pain medication, because he says he needs more." Skinner laughed, and bid Dana goodbye.  
She opened the door to his room, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. As soon as he saw her, Mulder was all smiles. Dana tried to smile back, but found herself crying. His smile disappeared at the sight of her tears.  
"Oh, Dana, sweetheart," he said, reaching out his mobile hand to her. She wiped her tears away, and then pulled out a tissue and blew her nose, pulling up a chair next to his bed.  
"Damn hormones," she said, managing a weak laugh. He was studying her face in concern, and he took her right hand in his, squeezing it.  
"How're you feeling?" she asked him.  
"I'm fine," he lied, wincing in pain as he said it.  
"You're lying," she said, smiling at him. "I can always tell when you lie." She gently stroked his forehead, running her fingers through his hair.  
"Maybe I should ask you how I am," he said, "you are, after all, from what Skinner has told me, the one who took that God-awful hunk of metal out of me." Dana looked at him, remembering the difficulty of the surgery, and the anguish it had caused her to have to cut him open, not knowing what the outcome might have been.  
"You're going to be fine. Your shoulder should be healed enough for you to get out of here in a week or two."  
"Good. That leaves me ample time to find something for you for Christmas... and something for the baby too," he said, kissing her hand.  
"Speaking of the baby, I have something I forgot to show you. I was going to bring it with me when I talked to you today, but I was so worried about what you would say, that I forgot," she stood up and reached into her pants' pocket, and pulled out what looked like a miniature x-ray. She handed it to Mulder, saying, "I had the sonogram done by the doctors on the obstetrics floor as soon as I got the test results back this morning. That," she said, smiling an unbelievable smile and pointing at a certain spot on the sonogram, "is our baby. That's the heartbeat," she continued, "and there's the..." Mulder cut her off when he kissed her. It was a long, loving kiss, and Dana felt her self practically melting. They pulled apart, and Dana went from being lover to doctor, and said, "Now, really, Mulder, you should try to get some sleep. Skinner told me you need more pain meds; how bad is it?" She asked, getting his chart from the end of his bed and opened them, pen poised, ready to take notes on him.  
"I'll give it to you straight, doc," he said playfully, "The pain is so bad, I'm pretty close to chewing my arm off at the shoulder." She nodded,  
"Alright, Demerol it is, then."  
  
Dana's mounting tension had given her a migraine, which, on top of the morning sickness and worrying for Mulder, made her feel as if her whole body was a raw nerve ending. She was sitting at her desk massaging her temples as completed the necessary paper work for the end of her current shift when the phone rang. She jumped and then grumbled under her breath before answering it. It was the receptionist.  
"Dr. Scully, your mother is in the waiting room."  
"Thanks, Laura."  
"Mmhmm," she responded, and the two hung up. Dana stood up slowly, and felt woozy. She steadied herself on her desk, and waited for the dizziness to pass. She walked out to the lobby, and found her mother pacing the perimeter of the octagonal room.  
"Mom? What're you doing here?" Dana asked, giving her mom a hug. Her mother looked both relieved and worried, though in varying degrees.  
"I kept calling your cell phone, but I got no answer. I called the house, and then I thought to call here. I heard all about Fox getting shot on the news. Well, they didn't say his name, but I-I knew it was him. Mother's intuition, I guess," she said, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead.  
"He'll be alright, Mom. He's just in a lot of pain, and he's pretty much in and out from the Demerol, but the bullet came out clean. It's just going to take a while to heal because it hit the muscle and tore it," Dana said, giving her mother a tired smile. It had been a difficult day.  
"Sweetie, you don't look so good. At least you get to go home in a little while and get some sleep," Maggie added, putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder as the pair headed back toward Dana's office.  
"I wish I could go home and go to sleep," Dana said, sighing. "I've got another shift after this one." She didn't tell her mother that she had volunteered for this shift after Mulder had been brought in that morning. 'I couldn't bear the thought of being too far from him while he was stuck here; especially during the turbulent twenty-four hour period following his surgery', she had told herself, to justify the additional shift. Her mother looked at her,  
"Couldn't you get someone to cover for you?"  
"No, Mom, really, I'll be fine. But you know what, I'm not feeling so well right now, probably because I haven't eaten anything. Let's go to the cafeteria," she said, smiling at her mom. Her mother agreed, but before the two left, Dana said, "You head down, Mom. I've just got to use the Little Girls' Room before I go. I'll be right with you," she said, and as soon as her mother was out of the office, Dana raced to the bathroom and succumbed to the nausea that had been ebbing away all day. She splashed cool water on her face, dried it off and headed out to the cafeteria. The two were sitting down to eat, Dana with a yogurt and decaf coffee, and Maggie with a sandwich and a Coke, when Dana's beeper went off. She gave a loud, aggravated sigh, and pulled it off her waistband. She looked at it, and smiled.  
"What is it?" Maggie asked, taking a sip of her soda. Dana looked at her, and said,  
"Mulder's awake," she said, smiling. Dana finished her yogurt and coffee, and apologized, but told her mother she had to help prepare the staff for the start of the next shift and check on her patients.  
  
Dana walked in the door for about the twenty-seventh time that night and found that Mulder had finally drifted off into a sound sleep. She hoped the pain killers were finally working well. She'd had to change his dose four times before they even took effect. Since it was nearly midnight, things had quieted down, temporarily. Dana took advantage of this and pulled up a chair next to Mulder's bed. She wanted nothing more than to sit and watch him sleep.  
"As long as you're alright, Mulder, we'll all be alright," she whispered, gently kissing his hand. "I don't know what I would do without you. I don't know if there is anyone else I would ever love the way I love you." Dana laughed at herself. She had once again bared her soul to Mulder, after spending a lifetime of not letting herself get too close to anyone. She yawned, finally beginning to grow tired after working for sixteen hours straight. Resting her head on Mulder's bed and curling her legs beneath her, she promised herself,  
"Just...five minutes..." She yawned. "and then...I'll head home.." Dana's heavy eyelids won the battle, however, and she was soon fast asleep.  
  
Mulder awoke the next morning to the bright sunshine on his face, and was surprised to find Dana sound asleep, her head resting on her arms on his bed. He reached over on the tray next to his bed and poured himself a glass of water. His movements caused Dana to stir, and she sat up quickly, looking, and feeling, disoriented.  
Mulder smiled at her, and she glanced down at her watch. She got a funny look on her face, and said,  
"Excuse me, Mulder," and dashed into his bathroom. Mulder cringed when he heard her being sick.  
"Morning sickness," he muttered to himself. "Poor thing." Dana returned moments later, still looking a little green. She managed to smile at him, seating herself beside his bed again. He noted her attire, and questioned,  
"You never went home yesterday?!" She shook her head, yawning.  
"I came in to see you at the end of my second shift, and fell asleep. So, how are you feeling?" she asked.  
"Are you asking as my doctor?"  
"Yes."  
"Well then, I feel absolutely fine. Never felt better," he said, grinning at her.  
"That's good, but you're still here for another week," Dana replied, grinning at him, knowing what he was getting at. Mulder gave an aggravated sigh,  
"You know me too well..." 


	6. His Question, Her Answer

Chapter 6  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar  
  
Author's Notes: This chapter is sappy, and I know it. But if I wrote it any other way it wouldn't have had its intended effect. Read it for the fluff. I thought it would be fitting, [and expected] that at this point she starts calling him Fox. If you don't like it, deal.(Oh and pardon any grammar errors, I tend to not proofread thoroughly enough. Sorry.)  
  
~(X)~  
  
"How in the hell did I get stuck working late on Christmas Eve?" Dana asked angrily to anyone who was listening as she hurriedly finished making her rounds. She passed all the necessary paperwork along to Dr. Sanders, the ER doctor taking her place. She grumbled under her breath after she gave the paperwork to Dr. Sanders, because it was her fault that Dana had to stay an extra four hours.  
She stepped out into the parking garage and called Mulder.  
"Mulder," he answered. Dana could hear people talking in the background. He was already at the Christmas party. Their Christmas party. The Christmas party which was taking place at HER house.  
"You're already at my house?!" she asked, feeling slightly disappointed as she began to sprint toward her car.  
"Don't rush, hon. Not everyone is here yet," Mulder lied, looking around the room to see all the invited members of the Mulder and Scully families were present, and had been for the last hour.  
"Well, I'll be home in fifteen. I got changed before I left the hospital," she said, starting her car.  
"Okay. Do you have the Christmas cards?" Mulder asked as he stepped out onto the porch so he could hear Dana better.  
"Yup. Alright, I have to go. I'm losing you. Love you, bye!" Dana said as she moved toward the exit of the parking garage.  
"Love you, bye!" Mulder said, hanging up and hurrying back inside. He was happy to see the families interacting so well. Present were Mulder's mom and dad, Bill and Teena, Dana's mom and dad, Bill Sr. and Maggie, and Dana's sister, Melissa, her younger brother Charlie, her older brother Bill Jr., and his wife Tara.  
"Alright, everybody, Dana's going to be here in fifteen minutes. Mom?" His mother looked up at him from her position next to Maggie on the couch.  
"Yes, Fox?"  
"Is Dana's present still in the bedroom?" he asked. Teena nodded at him. Maggie went into the kitchen to check on Melissa and see how she was managing with heating up the mound of food that Dana had prepared for dinner. Bill Sr., Bill Jr., Bill and Charlie were all laughing and chatting in front of the Christmas tree, but all the while Fox was pacing back and forth nervously.  
Exactly fifteen minutes later, Dana pulled her car into the garage, and Mulder rushed out to the car to help her. As she opened her car door and saw Mulder standing there in his red sweater and khaki pants, looking like everything Christmas, her tiredness dissolved, and she smiled, and gave him a kiss. She wore a red cardigan twin set, black dress pants and high heels, and Mulder noted, she smelled really, really good. She opened the back door of the car, and got out the bag with the Christmas cards, and the few little last minute presents she had picked up. She also pulled Mulder's presents out of the back. When she handed them to him, he read the name tags and shot her a look.  
"I couldn't trust you alone with those presents under the tree. Knowing you, you'd open them, look at them and then re-tape them," she said, giving him a silly grin. The Christmas spirit was definitely settling in on the two of them. Dana was giddy as she entered the house, followed by Mulder.  
"Dana!!" Everyone called, and Mrs. Mulder and her mother came over to hug and kiss her. The two then stepped back and let her pass, and she turned to take the packages from Fox and saw that he wore a guilty grin.  
"What?" she asked.  
"Look what we're standing under," he said, pointing above his head with one hand and putting his other around Dana's waist and pulling her close. She looked above her head, and could only say,  
"Mistletoe," before Mulder's lips were on hers. There was a chorus of "Oohs" from her siblings, and Dana felt her cheeks getting red, but she made no attempt to pull away from Mulder. Finally they pulled apart, and having deposited the last of the presents under the tree, Dana turned to everyone and said.  
"Everyone, I'm so sorry for making you wait. As you've probably heard, the doctor who was supposed to come in at three couldn't come in right away, and I got stuck working until seven. Thank you for heating up dinner for me, and now that we're all here, let's get eating!" Dana and Fox took their places as last in line, and she asked him,  
"Do you want to give out the Christmas cards as soon as everyone has their food?"  
"Sure," he said, smiling.  
"I'm so excited," she said, smiling at him. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss. They moved slowly through the serving line that had formed around the table, and because there were too many of them for the table, they had all resolved to eat in the living room. When everyone had seated themselves, Dana got the Christmas cards out of her bag and said,  
"Alright, everyone. Since I'm too lazy to mail these things, and we were all going to be here anyways..." Dana paused, realizing that she was rambling, and said, "Here are your Christmas cards." She walked around the room, passing out the picture Christmas cards that she and Fox had had made up. She walked over to Fox and stood, holding his hand, waiting for their reactions. It was Charlie who got his envelope open first, and looked at his card, seeming a little perplexed at first. Then he understood, and he looked up and Dana, his jaw on the floor. Her mother got hers opened next, and she gasped, and looked up at Dana, who by this point in time, was in tears, but laughing as well. The reaction was generally the same as everyone got their cards open, but Maggie spoke first.  
"Dana...is this? Are you?" Her father was studying the picture, and walked over to her.  
"Starbuck," he said, taking her hands.  
"Yes, Daddy?" she said, tearfully.  
"You're having a baby?"  
"Yes, Daddy," she said, biting her lip. Her father held his daughter at length for a moment, looking at her, and then wrapped his arms around her, and said,  
"I should have known, the way you were glowing when you walked through that door." Dana looked up at her father with tears in her eyes, and he gave her a kiss, saying, "Congratulations, Starbuck." Fox, who had left momentarily, returned with the original, photo, the one which they had used in the greeting cards. They had had it blown up to 16 x 20. In the photo, the two were wearing the same outfits they had on that evening, and on Dana's lap sat a framed, enlarged black and white sonogram.  
"It's our rendition of the family portrait," Fox said, as everyone in the house swarmed them. There were about fifteen minutes of congratulations, and dozens of questions.  
"Alright," Dana said, "Now that we've all been fed, and we've given you our news, it's present time!"  
Dana and Fox insisted that everyone else open their presents before they would touch any of their own. When everyone else had finished, and they were swimming in a sea of wrapping paper, Dana handed Fox his small gifts first.  
"Open this one first," she said, pointing to the one wrapped in silver paper. He opened it, and pulled out two silver, heart shaped cufflinks, one of which had 'Dana' engraved on it. "It was Missy's idea," she contributed, seeing his surprised look. "Now you can wear my heart on your sleeve." There was a chorus of "awws" and Fox whispered,  
"Thank you," and gave her a kiss. He said, "Here open this one." He handed Dana a long rectangular box wrapped in red paper with tiny Christmas trees on it. She tore the paper off quickly, like she had done for all those years of her childhood, and when she lifted the lid off the box, she gasped.  
"Oh, Fox, it's beautiful." She lifted the silver bracelet with the heart charm out and as he helped her fasten it around her wrist, he said,  
"This was also Missy's idea. Now you can wear my heart on your sleeve." She kissed him, tears welling in her eyes.  
"Oh, look at me; I'm getting all emotional. This pregnancy is really messing with my hormones," she said, laughing. Her mother and Teena both laughed in sympathy. Mulder opened his next small present; a hardware store copy of a key to Dana's house. She handed him his larger present, and said,  
  
"This is a sort of 'part-two' of the key present." He tore the paper off of it, and out of the large brown box he pulled a dresser drawer. "You officially have your own dresser and closet space," she said, grinning at him. He gave her another kiss and then said,  
"Give me a minute. I have to go get your other present. But I need you to close your eyes for me," Dana nodded, closing her eyes. "No peeking," Mulder called, as he hurried up the steps to Dana's bedroom. She sat, drumming her fingers on the arm of the couch as she waited for him to return.  
"Hurry up!" She called playfully, "The suspense is killing me!"  
"Okay, okay!" he called moments later. Dana could feel that he was close to her, and suddenly she felt something warm and wiggly in her lap. She opened her eyes to find a golden retriever puppy sitting in her lap. She gaped openmouthed at Fox, who was laughing, and said,  
"You told me you wanted a dog."  
"Yes, but I didn't think you'd take me seriously," she replied studying the puppy intently. "Girl or boy?" she asked.  
"Girl," he replied. Dana was looking the puppy over, feeling happily overwhelmed, when she saw that she was chewing something hanging from her collar.  
"Whatcha got there?" she asked, turning the puppy to get a better look. She had failed to notice, as she untied the bow on the collar, that the entire room had gone silent an all eyes were on her. She removed the blue velvet box from the place it had been tied to the puppy's collar, and she also failed to notice as she opened it, that Fox was kneeled down in front of her. When she finally managed, after a short struggle, to get the box open, she gasped.  
"Oh, my god," she mumbled, glancing wide-eyed at Fox who was still in front of her, down on one knee.  
"Dana Katherine Scully, I fell in love with you the moment that I first saw you. The time we have spent together has been amazing; there is no one else in the world more beautiful, intelligent, or truly wonderful. So here, in front of both our families, this Christmas Eve, I'm asking you, Dana, if you will make me the happiest man alive, and do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me?" Dana looked down at him, her eyes shining with tears, and her face alive with the biggest smile Fox had ever seen, and without a moment of hesitation, she whispered,  
"Yes. The answer is yes." Fox took the gorgeous, diamond ring from its velvet and satin casing and placed it on the fourth finger of Dana's trembling left hand. She then proceeded to fling herself at him, bursting into hysterical sobs as they lay on the floor, in a heap. He kissed her, again and again, and she continued to cry. After several moments had passed, Dana regained her composure and sat up, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. The two sat on the couch, and Dana looked at him, and said,  
"You get me a diamond, and I get you a $9.95 hardware store copy of my house key and one of my dresser drawers." 


	7. The Big Day

Chapter 7  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar  
  
Disclaimer: See an earlier chapter, s'il vous plait.  
  
~(X)~  
  
"I feel like a princess," Dana said, doing a full spin so her mother could see her from all directions. She came to a stop, and there was silence except for the rustling of the tulle and satin fabric which made up her wedding dress. Maggie stood, clutching a crumpled tissue, crying and smiling at the same time.  
"Mom, would you help me with the veil please?" Dana asked, seating herself. Maggie stood behind her daughter and placed the rhinestone tiara and attached veil on top of her head, securing it with bobby pins.  
She put her hands on Dana's shoulders and said, "This is your 'something old'." She fastened a string of pearls around Dana's neck. Dana watched Missy rise from the chair she had been sitting in across the room from them. She kneeled in front of Dana and said,  
"Here's your 'something borrowed'," she paused, and handed Dana a set of gorgeous diamond earrings, which had been given to Missy by their grandmother when she turned sixteen. Dana put them in, feeling touched at the gesture. Missy continued, saying,  
"Here's your 'something blue'." She grinned mischievously at Dana, who opened the box and found a blue and white garter inside. Dana laughed out loud, wrapping her arms around Missy saying sarcastically,  
"It's just what I've always wanted." She rolled her eyes, and slipped it on.  
"Now, about your something new..." Maggie began, but Dana looked up at her and smiled, saying,  
"I think Fox has given me the perfect something new." She placed a hand on her swollen stomach, and gave her mother a nervous smile, saying, "It's time to go get lined up. The ceremony starts in a few minutes." Maggie gave her one last hug before heading off so she could be seated before everything commenced. Missy and Dana joined the rest of the bridesmaids who were lined up in the entryway of the church, bouquets in hand.  
The doors were opened, and the music began playing. Dana took a deep breath, feeling her accelerated heart rate as she watched her bridesmaids walk slowly down the aisle and take their places at the front of the church. She jumped when she felt someone touch her elbow.  
"You okay, Dana?" Bill, Sr. asked, nervous himself.  
"I'm fine, Dad. Really," she replied. "Just jitters."  
"Ready?" he asked, hearing the slow in the music.  
"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied, and he helped her pull the veil over her face. The two linked arms, and stepped up to the doors. Evenly paced, Dana and her father walked down the aisle. The two paused, just as they had rehearsed the night before, and Bill Sr. lifted the veil off of his daughter's face, gave her a quick kiss, and replaced it. The ceremony progressed without event, and it came time for Dana and Fox to exchange vows . Fox spoke first.  
"Dana," he began, pausing to look into her eyes. "I don't know that I ever truly lived before you. I felt trapped in my own skin. My work was mediocre and boring, my love life was...non-existent, and I felt like I wasn't going anywhere or having any fun. But you changed all of that for me. In the time I've spent with you, I feel like I've known you my whole life..." he paused again, and just as he was prepared to speak again, Dana gasped and put her hand on her swollen stomach. Fox looked at her in fear, and whispered, "What is it?" She looked up at him, with tears in her eyes and said,  
"The baby kicked." She guided his hand to where she could feel the fluttering kick, and with her other hand, wiped away the tears which had slid down her cheeks. Father McCue looked at the two of them, whispering,  
"Everything alright?" Fox nodded, and Father McCue said, "Continue."  
"I um, I forget everything else I had to say," Fox said, turning red. There was some laughter from the guests, as well as the members of the bridal party. Dana grinned at him before beginning her vows.  
"Fox, you were the best surprise of my life. I met you feeling in low spirits, but in a matter of hours, I felt that I could trust you, and I began to open up to you, and feel much better. I fell in love with you in a matter of days, and my feelings have only continued to grow stronger as time has gone on. Every day, you are my light, my touchstone. I love you, and I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else," Dana said, feeling the tears slip down her cheeks once again.  
After the rings had been exchanged, it came time for the kiss. Fox lifted the veil away from Dana's face, and wiped away her tears. She smiled up at him, and stood on her tip toes. He put his arm around her waist, drawing her in to him. In an instant his lips were on hers, and Dana felt a shudder go through her body. The things that man could make her feel should be illegal. His hands were practically burning holes through her dress. The two had forgotten where they were until Father McCue cleared his throat, saying,  
"If you don't mind, Dana and Fox, I'd like to wrap things up here." The two pulled apart and faced the guests, and Father McCue said, "I'd like to introduce to you, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Fox Mulder." There was applause, and Fox scooped Dana into his arms, practically running down the aisle as she laughed hysterically. They stopped in the entryway of the church, and Dana put on her jacket, as did Fox. Having forgotten something in the dressing room, Dana took her husband by the hand, and the two raced down the hallway. She picked up her purse from the table, and turned back to Fox. By the time they had reached the entryway of the church again, the guests had all lined up outside, and Fox and Dana were pelted by handfuls of birdseed. They rushed to climb into the limo, joining the rest of the bridal party as they headed off toward the restaurant were the reception was being held.  
Hours later, after the first dance, and dinner and the cake, Dana and Fox stood on the balcony, under the stars. Her gloved fingers were laced with his bare ones, and they stood in silence, shoulders touching, breath creating clouds. They kissed again, and Fox said,  
"Happy Valentine's Day, Mrs. Mulder." Dana smiled at him, kissing him before saying, '  
"Happy Valentine's Day to you too, Mr. Mulder." 


	8. The New Addition

Chapter 8  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar  
  
Disclaimer: See an earlier chapter!! :o)  
  
~(X)~  
  
"They want you to go to Arizona, now?!" Dana questioned exasperatedly, fanning her face with her hand. Fox nodded, throwing assorted clothing items into a suitcase. He too, was frustrated. "But... but I was due a week ago, Fox. I can't have this baby if you're not here with me. You can't miss our daughter's birth!" she exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes.  
"I argued with Skinner over it for a solid hour, but he said that there are no other agents who can go, other than the two of us. He said, he would go it alone, but with the workload this case is promising, he's going to need another agent," Fox replied, slamming his suitcase shut and turning to face his wife.  
"Couldn't they get someone from the Tucson Field office?" she asked, drying her eyes with a tissue as she followed him back to the kitchen.  
"According to Skinner, no," he said, getting two glasses out of the cabinet and filling them with water. He handed one to Dana, and she walked slowly to the living room, still trying to process all that had happened. Fox's cell phone had rung at 5:00 that morning, and A.D. Skinner had given him all the information about the case. He had told Fox to meet him at Headquarters, and they would be heading to the airport an hour after they met. "Your mother's on her way over to stay with you for the time that I'm gone. She'll call if anything happens, and I'll be on the first available flight home. Everything will be alright, I promise," she said, gingerly kissing her forehead.  
"If you can do anything to get out of it..." she began, a pleading look in her eyes.  
"I'll try my hardest. I'll be home as soon as humanly possible," he said, giving her a kiss. He looked at his watch, and said, "I've really got to go now, sweetheart. I promised Skinner I'd be there fifteen minutes ago." He hurried up the steps, leaving his frustrated and emotionally and physically worn out wife in the living room. She collapsed onto the sofa, wiping the slight perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand. When she heard Fox's footsteps growing nearer, she said, loudly,  
"Remind me next time I get pregnant not to do it during the summer." He leaned over the couch and looked at her, smiling. He gave her one last kiss, saying,  
"Bye sweetheart," and then kissed his fingers, and placed them on her swollen stomach.  
"Bye little one," he said, "Take care of your mom for me while I'm gone." And with that sentiment, he was out the door.  
  
Dana looked around her at the display. Red, white, and blue everything. Table cloths, streamers, even the children all wore red white and blue. Another Maggie Scully holiday celebration. Her mother, the Queen- of-All-Things-Holiday, had called together all the Scullys in the tri-state area, and of course, Bill, his wife Tara and their son Matthew, who would never miss a family holiday event, no matter how far they had to travel. She had even made shirts for all of them, including Fox, who was still in Tucson. The case, he had told her, was more difficult than they could have anticipated, and Skinner needed him more than ever.  
"Just do me a favor," he had said during their last conversation, "and tell the 'Little One' we're not quite ready for her yet."  
"I don't know, sweetheart, if she stays in there much longer, I might have to start charging her rent," she had responded, laughing. But now, even amidst all the holiday cheer, she was miserable. Not only emotionally, but physically. She hadn't slept decently in days; she was so uncomfortable at night, and she had totally lost her appetite. Most of all, she just wanted her husband home, or at the very least, in the same time zone.  
"Dana!" Charlie's voice called, and she turned around, he grinned at her like a child, "Come on, Dana, they're getting ready to start the fireworks." She smiled at her younger brother, and said,  
"Charles Scully, are you really twenty-seven or just twelve and pretending?" Her brother put his arm around her shoulders, and had any onlooker been none the wiser, he would have assumed that Charlie was the older of the two, for his sophisticated looks, and the fact that he towered over Dana and all the other Scullys at a height of six foot five. As they walked in silence across the large field toward the lake, Charlie said,  
"Dana..."  
"What is it?"  
"It's good to see you happy. I don't think I've ever seen you this way about anyone before, even in the beginning of your marriage to Daniel."  
"I'm very lucky to have found Fox," she said, looking up at her brother.  
"No, he's the only one who's lucky," Charlie said, making his sister smile.  
  
She couldn't focus on the fireworks display. There were two things which occupied her mind, how cold she was, and how much she wanted Fox to be the one to put his arms around her and keep her warm. She shivered, and a voice from behind her said,  
"Here, I think you could use this," she felt a jacket on her shoulders and turned around as quickly as possible to see her husband's smiling face.  
"Fox!" she shouted, "You're home!" She felt a pang of concern as she noted a line of stitches close to his left eyebrow.  
"What happened?" she questioned, gingerly examining them, being both doctor and wife. He grasped her hand, pulling it away from his forehead, and looked her in the eyes.  
"Hostile suspect. She slapped me, with her left hand, and got me with the diamond in her engagement ring," he laughed.  
"I'll bet you can't see a thing from here," he said, standing and assisting Dana in doing the same. A childish grin on his face, he took her by the hand, and the two walked slowly closer to the lake, and the rest of the Scully family. He was greeted with overwhelming warmth by Maggie, who leapt up and threw her arms around him.  
"Fox! You're home! We were getting worried that you wouldn't make it back in time," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder,  
"He almost didn't," Dana muttered, nearly doubled over. Fox's eyes went wide as he looked at her, ushering her into a chair.  
"Is this it?!" he asked. She winced at the pain of the contraction, and nodded.  
"Yeah, it is. I've been..." she paused, catching her breath, "having little pains all day, but they were Braxton Hicks. This one, is definitely the real thing. We need to get to the hospital, right now," she said clutching Fox's hand.  
"I'll go get the car," he said, and turned to Maggie. "Mom, can you just stay with her for a minute? Make sure she does her breathing. I'll bring the car down the boat path to the dock." He found himself smiling as he said, "Let's have ourselves a baby!" and raced off across the field towards his car.  
  
3:59 a.m. brought into the lives of Dana and Fox Mulder, a beautiful, eight pound eleven ounce baby girl, who they lovingly named Samantha Elizabeth.  
"How can you love someone so much, who you've only just met?" Dana asked Fox in a tearful whisper, as she looked down into the bright blue eyes of her daughter. Fox sat on his wife's bed with her, studying every square inch of Samantha. He gently touched the soft brown which thickly blanketed her head, and looked up at Dana, smiling. Her question needed no verbal response.  
"She's got your facial features, Dana. Your nose, your chin," he said, gently laying his finger on each of her features. She smiled at him, and leaned in, receiving his kiss. They pulled apart, and he said,  
"If you don't mind, I'd like to borrow our little Samantha for a few minutes, and introduce her to her grandparents, who have been camped out in the lobby all night." Dana handed Samantha to him, and he supported her head in the crook of his elbow. His confident movements told her that he was already comfortable, and would be a natural. She gave him a tiny wave as he disappeared from her hospital room, holding their daughter. Dana sighed, counting the moments until she could hold her baby girl once again.  
  
Fox entered the lobby and found his father, and father-in-law sound asleep on facing sofas, and his mother and mother-in-law standing by the nursery. As soon as they saw him, they bounded across the floor of the lobby, stopping just short of crashing into Fox.  
"Mom, Maggie, I'd like you to meet your granddaughter." The giddy squeals which escaped the lips of the two women could have woken the dead, and Bill Scully and Bill Mulder were both instantly alert. When they were awake enough to realize what all the fuss was about, they came over, both equally awed.  
"Congratulations, Dad," Fox's father said to him, embracing his son.  
"She's beautiful." Bill Scully said, shaking Fox's hand.  
"What are you going to call her?" Teena asked, as Sam's tiny fingers gripped her own. Her eyes met her son's as he said,  
"I'd like for you all to meet Samantha Elizabeth Mulder." 


	9. The Last Goodbye

Chapter 9  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar  
  
Disclaimer: See an earlier chapter.  
  
~(X)~  
  
The autumn breeze, colder than usual, stirs the leaves. Nearly three years have passed, the cooler months have come again. Dana stands, flanked by her daughter, Samantha, who eagerly clutches her mother's hand. In her free arm, Dana holds her son, William Fox, a task which has grown more difficult for the third child which grows every day in her womb. She breaks the stony silence which has surrounded them by saying,  
"I can't believe I'm really standing here." Her mother raises her eyes, looking sideways at her grieving daughter, as she herself grieves. She gently rubs Dana's back, wishing she could find the right words to comfort your daughter. But she stops, realizing that there are no words which bring comfort in a situation like this. She knows what it is like to lose a husband. She pauses, remembering that fated Christmas holiday, just last year, when Bill had gone in an instant. She wipes away the fresh tears which have sprung to her eyes.  
Beside her, Dana, too is remembering. The words of the priest are lost on her ears. She is remembering that day, just over a week ago, when Fox was late from work. She had called his cell phone, and gotten no answer. No sooner had she hung up, than the phone rang. She picked up, hoping to hear his voice, but the voice on the other end belonged to a stranger.  
"Mrs. Mulder?"  
"Yes," she had answered nonchalantly as she filled Will's bottle.  
"I have some bad news, Mrs. Mulder," the voice had said. This had caused her to stop, and reposition her son on her hip, as her heart rate quickened. There was a pause, before the voice on the other end said,  
"There was a shooting at the bank; a hostage situation, and your husband was injured. I can't tell you anything more right now, Mrs. Mulder. I'm very sorry." Tears in her eyes, and her heart in her throat, she had asked,  
" W-what hospital?"  
"Northeast Georgetown, ma'am."  
"Thank you," she had murmured, hanging up the phone. With a numb mind, she had finished Will's bottle, and called up the stairs to her daughter,  
"Samantha, come here sweetheart. We have to go to the hospital for a little while, ok?"  
"Where's Daddy?" she had asked, innocently. Such an innocent question, but its implications were great. Dana wiped away the tears, saying,  
"Daddy's at work, sweetie." Sam had nodded, heading to the closet to get her coat and her brother's. The three headed out the door, and to the car. With her two little ones strapped into the back seat, Dana followed the route she had taken numerous times, and they soon reached the hospital. She had been relieved to find that her mother was already there, and had gotten her message.  
"Sam, you and Will go see Gramma, ok?" Her daughter, her hazel eyes shining, had pulled the tottering William by the hand to see their grandmother.  
After finding that he was in surgery, Dana had sat outside the OR, her head in her hands. The hardest part had come. The wait. After what seemed like an eternity, the OR doors had opened, and Dana had lifted her head. She saw Dr. Regenski, her partner and undoubtedly one of her best friends, coming toward her. She had removed her mask, and stopped in front of Dana. As Dana's eyes had finally met Gina's, and she let out a cry after reading their expression.  
"No!" she had cried, her shaking voice rising. "No, Gina, please..." she had whimpered, raising a shaking hand to her mouth.  
"Dana, I'm so sorry..." Dr. Regenski began.  
"No, no, no!" Dana yelled, backing away from her. She had backed into a chair, and stopped. She had stood still, breathing heavily, as Dr. Regenski put a hand on her shoulder and said,  
"Dana, there was nothing we more we could do." Then everything had gone black.  
  
Back in present time, Dana shudders, and her mother squeezes her hand, then extends her arms to take William. Dana nods, thanking her. She takes two steps forward and hesitates, taking a half step back. She takes a deep breath, bending down. Picking up a handful of loose dirt, Dana casts it over the fully lowered coffin of her late husband, Fox Mulder, bidding him one last good bye. 


	10. The Realization

Chapter 10  
  
Title: Strangers in a Bar  
  
Disclaimer: Please see an earlier chapter.  
  
~(X)~  
  
She awoke with a gasp and sat straight up in bed, covered in a cold sweat. She glanced wildly around her, finding momentary comfort in the familiar surroundings which were her bedroom. The panic began rising in her chest again when she saw that Mulder wasn't lying next to her. Scully jumped out of bed, and her wild movements woke the baby, which began kicking her with defiance. She placed a shaking hand on her stomach, and she walked across the room, stopping just in front of her mirror.  
It *had* all been a dream. The Dana Scully who stared back at her was the Scully who had left the medical profession to be in the FBI. The Dana Scully who had followed Fox Mulder all over the country and back more times than she could count. The Dana Scully who had conceived a child which was hailed a miracle, their son, William. The movements of the child reminded her of their second, a daughter, whom they had named Melissa. Still shaken, she walked into the living room of the apartment, and found Mulder sitting in the middle of their living room floor, surrounded by various boxes. She stepped on a piece of paper as she came closer to him, and he looked up at her, surprised to see her awake.  
"What're you doing up, Dana?" he asked. She sat down on the floor next to him, and he noticed that she looked shaken as she put her arm around his lower back, drawing herself into him. He put his arms around her, and kissed the top of her head.  
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" She took a deep breath and said,  
"I just had a bad dream...I dreamt that I lost you." He rubbed her shoulder.  
"You're not going to lose me. You're stuck with me," he said, laughing. She laughed as well, looking up at him. She gestured to the box on the floor in front of him and said,  
"What're you up to? It's three in the morning." She yawned, and he said,  
"Just playing a little 'last minute' Santa Claus. I had a few things left to wrap for Will."  
"Oh," she said, simply, yawning. Mulder looked at her, studying her for a moment before saying,  
"Sweetheart, you need to get back to sleep. Go ahead in, I'll be there in a few minutes." She relented, standing up slowly.  
"You promise?" she asked, playfully. He nodded.  
"I promise."  
"Alright," Scully said, heading back to their bedroom. Mulder watched her disappear through the doorway, and he then turned back to his wrapping. He smiled and shook his head, finishing the wrapping of Will's Christmas present. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the last present he had to wrap. He smiled as he opened it and looked it over one more time. Mulder laid out the wrapping paper, cutting it to the right size, according to his estimation. Smiling, he placed the square black velvet box in the center of the wrapping paper square, and folded the paper around it.  
"Merry Christmas, Dana," he said, placing the box under the tree and heading to bed.  
  
-The End-  
  
Author's Notes: Thanks for sticking with me, everyone!! Thanks for all the support, and I hope you liked it! 


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